Synopsis:
The discussion will be around but not limited to three points:
· The Palestinian struggle to tell their story.
· The Palestinian struggle to expose Zionism, and Israel as an Apartheid State.
· The Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement
The Palestinian story is one of catastrophe and struggle following the Palestinian dispossession of 1948 and the creation of the homeland for Jewish settlers from Europe. It has been subsumed beneath European and US support and sympathy for the Jewish people following persecution and genocide in Europe. Israel’s circumstance depends on massive military and economic support from the US to maintain its domination. In the Western media the full Palestinian narrative is overshadowed by Western support for the settlers.
The character of the State of Israel is based on foundations of Jewish exclusivity and this is evidenced by ongoing discrimination against Arab citizens living in Israel since 1948 and a vicious and sustained occupation of the lands conquered in 1967. This is demonstrated amongst other things by:
· the immigration policies of the Israelis
· the ongoing dispossession of Palestinians from their lands and the expanding Jewish settlement on Palestinian land,
· refusal to allow Palestinian refugees a right of return, severe and sustained restrictions on movement and
· the continued imprisonment of Palestinians for political reasons – some estimates are that one fifth of the population have been jailed at one time or another.
The current symbol of apartheid is the massive cement separation wall which is 8 metres high (twice that of the Berlin Wall). The wall frequently divides Palestinian farms, towns and cities and Palestinians travelling to the other half of their farm, town or city need to go through checkpoints that can be miles to their intended destination.
The Boycott Divestment Sanctions campaign has emerged in recent years as core activity of the Palestinian solidarity struggle in many countries. What is the BDS and what role does it play in supporting the anti-colonial struggle in Palestine?
[Photo of Palestinians crossing the border from the Golan Heights]
